Faith, a three-year-old likely terrier mix recovering at Seal Beach Animal Care Center holds her head up just outside the gate where she is kept in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 23, 2013. Barely able to wag her tail upon admission into the center, Faith has gained weight and walks around.

Barbara Christensen, kennel attendant, holds Faith just outside the gate where she is kept at Seal Beach Animal Care Center in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 23, 2013. Barely able to wag her tail upon admission into the center, Faith has gained weight and walks around.

Though it doesn't look it, Faith has gained two pounds since receiving emergency treatment at the Animal Hospital of Huntington Beach on August 7.

Hilo, left, and Faith, a three-year-old terrier mix recovering at Seal Beach Animal Care Center look through the gate where they stay in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 23, 2013. Hilo is protective of Faith and the other dog currently in the dog pen.

Faith was brought into the Seal Beach Animal Care Center in early August weighing four pounds, four ounces.

Faith, a three-year-old terrier mix recovering at Seal Beach Animal Care Center walks around the office in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 23, 2013. Barely able to wag her tail upon admission into the center, Faith has gained weight and walks around.

Faith, a three-year-old likely terrier mix recovering at Seal Beach Animal Care Center shivers just outside the gate where she spends her time with two other dogs in Seal Beach, Calif., Friday, Aug. 23, 2013. Faith has gained more than two pounds in weight during her recovery and now walks around.

This dog was found in Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station Wednesday, according to volunteers at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center. Its matted fur came off like "like sheets of carpet" when vets shaved it, volunteer Jane Parnes said.

SEAL BEACH – Faith is still skin and bones, but she’s gaining weight and expected to make a full recovery.

The 3-year-old dog was brought barely moving to Seal Beach Animal Care Center on Aug. 7, starved for what Center volunteer Jane Parnes thought could have been months. Faith now weighs 6.1 pounds, up from four pounds, four ounces when she was brought in, Parnes said.

“Where is that on this little girl,” Parnes asked, referring to the new weight on Faith.

Bones stick out everywhere on the terrier mix or Brussels Griffon, from her chest to her ribs to her hips. But Faith is lively, making unexpected “jail breaks” into the front office of the Animal Care Center during a visit on a recent morning.

Back from the animal hospital for two weeks, Faith is on a diet of 1/3 a can of Hill’s Prescription Diet per day, to help her gain back muscle, said Parnes, co-chair of the Center’s Dog Welfare Committee. “I have never seen somebody eat as fast as she does.”

Faith has a head bob that is either a sign of neurological damage from the starvation or just a temporary lack of muscle control, veterinarians told Parnes. Otherwise, she’s very active and doesn’t want to be alone.

“She barks and barks and barks to get attention,” Parnes said.

The plans are to keep Faith at the Center until at least the middle of October.

In the meantime, staff members are considering what kind of home Faith will need when she is put up for adoption – whether she can play with other dogs or will get along with young children. She hasn’t played with toys yet, Parnes noted.

For now, she’s staying indoors with two older dogs, where volunteers can keep an eye on her.

“It’s not that she’s fragile, I just feel like she’s susceptible,” Parnes said. “We’re just babying her.”

Faith has caught the imagination of many who’ve heard about her. A post on the Animal Care Center’s Facebook wall attracted 171 comments, and Register readers have inquired about donating to the Center after reading about Faith.

Parnes said donations will help pay for a mounting set of hospital bills; Faith’s veterinary bill will stack on top of a recent $5,400 back surgery for a dog named Shiloh, who can still only take 10-minute walks.

“We don’t know what the cost is going to be,” Parnes said.

The man who brought the dog in earlier this month said he and his daughter found her on the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, though he hasn’t followed up on the dog’s condition or been reached at the phone number he left, Parnes said.

For more updates, check in with the Seal Beach Animal Care Center at sbacc.org.

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